playing poker and teaching science

About Me

I'm a middle school science teacher, wrestling coach, poker player, scuba diver, aikido black belt, amateur writer, and student of life. In the past I have tried to give back a little by volunteering at a children's home in Belmopan, Belize, Central America. I also love Frosted Flakes.
I have taken a year sabbatical from my teaching position in order to sail the Caribbean. Does that sound crazy to you?

Sunday, November 30, 2008

What a card

I was sitting in The Argosy Casino poker room last Friday afternoon, enjoying a little R&R during my five-day break from teaching before wrestling season and the holidays hit full force. Argosy spreads a nice little $5/$10 Omaha 8 or better (with a half kill) a few times each week and it's always nice to play something other than Hold Em.

It took a while for the game to get started and I was up in the $1/$3 no-limit game, much to the chagrin of the man who double me up when I pushed all-in on a board of Qc-10h-6c with my Ac-10c. I felt good with top pair, top kicker and nine cards that gave me the nutty-nut flush, two tens for trips, and four jacks for a straight. I felt even better after another club fell on the turn.

The victim never showed his cards, but from later discussion I think he had JJ. If so I had 16 outs twice so it wasn't even a suck out.

In the last half-hour of the O8b game, I had been a little up and a little down when I was dealt Ah-4h-3c-x in the big blind and got in for free. The flop brought 2h-5h-x and I called a bet, which was raised behind me, then re-raised, and eventually capped with four players involved.

Yikes. That's a lot of money invested, but I liked where I was with a draw to both the nut low and the nut high.

The money card hit on the river. I was looking for any low card other and any one of nine hearts, but the three gave me the nut low and an ace to five straight flush for the high.

The best part was that I was able to bet out and STILL got three callers.